Doormats, whether inside or out, don’t get the credit they deserve. They work hard to welcome you and your guests and protect your hardwood flooring, rugs, and carpets.
Are you considering a doormat change? A coco coir doormat is an excellent choice. What’s a coco coir doormat, you ask?
Read on to learn all about coco coir and why it’s becoming Canada’s doormat of choice.
What is Coco Coir?
Coco coir is the fibres from the husk of a coconut. When woven together, these fibres create a water-absorbent, durable mat perfect for cleaning mud, dirt, and moisture off your boots and shoes. In today’s environmentally conscious world, coco coir is an excellent biodegradable option over synthetic mats that can pose health risks like allergic reactions in people or pets who are sensitive to certain materials.
How Do You Make a Plain Coir Doormat?
Manufacturers husk coconuts to obtain the fibres and then spin them into coir yarn to make coir doormats. The white fibres are weaker and made into rope, while the stronger brown fibres are woven into various patterns and placed onto PVC backing to create plain coir doormats.
When mats are at least one inch thick, there isn’t a need for a PVC or rubber backing to hold the mat together. Manufacturers use bleach with environmentally friendly hydrogen peroxide to colour the coir fibres and then dye them to create doormats in various colours to complement different decors.
Coir Doormat Uses
Besides being eco-friendly, the coir doormat has three primary uses:
1. Flooring Longevity
Help your hardwoods, tiles, rugs, and carpets last longer by trapping the dirt and moisture in the coir doormat rather than throughout your home.
2. Welcome You and Your Visitors Into Your Home
With many different designs, shapes, and colours, you’re sure to find a fun coir doormat that complements the style of your home and makes everyone feel welcome.
3. Keep it All Clean
Whatever lies beyond your coir doormat, whether it’s your:
- Home
- Garage
- Trailer
- Office
- Gazeebo
- Outdoor sauna
Keeping it clean is easy when you have a coir doormat to wipe your feet before entering.
Benefits Of Coir Doormats
Who isn’t interested in the benefits of a product these days? Let’s look at what a coir doormat can do for you:
Moisture Absorbing
The strong coir fibres have exceptional water absorbency and drainage to prevent moulding and rotting in wet conditions. Some coir fibres can absorb up to nine times their weight in water, making it the perfect mat for wet conditions — absorbing all that moisture keeps it off the floors, reduces slips and falls, and prevents future damage.
Durability
The tough bristly coir fibres are outstanding for removing dirt and mud, even from shoe and boot treads. Coir doormats have a life expectancy of 10 years which will outlast any plain doormat on the market.
Eco-Friendly
Every little bit helps when it comes to minimizing your carbon footprint. Using coco coir fibres to make doormats is a sustainable system because of the abundance of coconuts and their renewability as a resource. Coir doormats are an intelligent addition to green homes that already use solar energy, recycled water, and other eco-friendly items.
After their expected 10-year lifespan, recycle your coir doormats in a compost pile instead of adding them to landfills like their synthetic counterparts. And with longer-lasting coir mats, the need for replacement isn’t as frequent, so there’s less material going into landfills.
Affordability
Coir doormats are generally cheaper to purchase than other types, making them the ideal choice for those on a budget but still want their entrance to be functional and fashionable with an accent mat. Because coir doormats last longer than synthetic mats, you’ll spend less money over time.
Cut to Fit Any Entryway
You can cut your coir doormat to accommodate any size entranceway or application. They are durable enough to withstand heavy foot traffic residentially, commercially, or even on the farm.
Easy to Clean
Coir doormats don’t require machine washing, although your cleaning technique will depend on how dirty your mat is. For clumps of fresh mud, use a metal spatula or garden hoe to scrape the bulk off. Once dry, use a stiff brush to remove the remaining debris. To remove excess dust and dirt, hang the dry coir mat and bang it with a broom several times.
A garden hose can easily take care of any remaining debris and then hang it to dry. Avoid using chemicals or detergents as they can harm natural fibres. There will inevitably be some shedding of the pile or fibres in all coir doormats — this is normal. Give the mat a good shake rather than pulling at loose threads or vacuuming excessively.
Coir Doormat FAQs
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding coco coir doormats.
Is a coir doormat entirely made of coco coir fibre?
Yes. You’ll find all coco coir doormats that are one inch thick or greater, completely made of coco coir fibres. The woven fibres are strong enough at this thickness to hold themselves together without needing a backing plate. These backless coir doormats are ideal for outdoor use because they allow the water and moisture to drain straight through the ground.
Can my coir doormat get wet?
Coco coir fibre is highly absorbent and can hold up to nine times its weight in water. That said, the coir doormat must be able to dry to stay effective. If your coir doormat has a backing that holds water and relies on evaporation to dry, you may need to hang it if it becomes over-saturation.
Can my coir doormat be left outside?
If your coir doormat is less than one inch thick, it likely has a rubber or PVC backing, so leaving it outside can lead to oversaturation, especially in continuous wet weather, so we wouldn’t recommend it. Although, you can leave the larger one-inch-thick coir mats outside because they drain their water into the ground and won’t become over-saturated.